Are you suffering from post-holiday food hangover? This Christmas, I didn't eat as much junk food as I usually do, but I'm still feeling fairly sickened at the mere thought of anything chocolatey or cheesy.
I just can't with rich foods right now. Just! Can't! All I want are vegetables and greens and grains.
And this stew? Has plenty of these things. It's the perfect antidote to post-holiday food hangover.
This was inspired by a recipe in Whole Living, which I planned on making without any substitutions aside from omitting the chicken. But as I went through the grocery store, slowly I started making more adjustments in my head.
Butternut squash is lower in calories than sweet potatoes--into the cart it went! I like kale more than collard greens--that went into the cart too.
Instead of leaving the chicken out, what about replacing it with seitan? That sounded like a good idea, so I grabbed a package of that.
And because I didn't have brown rice in the pantry, I decided that rather than buying more, I'd use bulgur.
The result is a stew that is both super healthy and, shock-of-shocks(!) substantive too. This is the kind of meal that keeps you full for a few hours. Not an icky full, mind you.
A good, satisfied kind of full. Which is the kind of full you need when you're trying to detox from Christmas.
![Seitan, Kale & Butternut Squash Stew [Top]](https://ohmyveggies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/seitan_kale_and_butternut_squash_stew_top.jpg)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 8 oz. seitan torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ¼ c. apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ lbs. butternut squash peeled and diced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 small bunch kale stems removed and chopped
- 1 c. bulgur wheat
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Add seitan and cook until browned. Set aside.
- Add onion and celery to pot; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and deglaze.
- Add butternut squash and broth to pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in kale and bulgur wheat; cook until kale is wilted. Add seitan, salt and pepper.
Canadian Mom Blogger says
That sounds good!
Virginia from That Bald Chick says
I love recipes with Kale in them.
The Type A Housewife says
Me too--it's definitely my favorite green. It's not bitter & it doesn't get slimy when you cook it!
Katie says
mmm I love kale!
The Type A Housewife says
Me too! It's the only green I really, really love.
Kelly says
Yum this looks so colorful and hearty! Our bodies definitely let us know what we need so if you're craving healthy foods - go with it. I think far too often we succumb to temptation and our body isn't asking for (or needing) those things.
The Type A Housewife says
I always seem to crave fruits and vegetables after holidays and other times when I eat a lot of junk. And I weighed myself this morning & haven't gained any weight since last week, so I guess it was good to go with this urge to eat healthy. 🙂
Julie says
I think I need an entire bath full of kale right now!! We were so unhealthy over the holidays and are now onto a 30 day Paleo challenge. Its been a few days without cheese and I'm getting the shakes! Glad you are feeling better after the highlighting fiasco!
The Type A Housewife says
Yeah, I don't think I could do that paleo thing. I try to stick to 90% clean cooking & 10% not-so-clean. Because without brownies... well, I don't even want to think of being without brownies. So I need my bad 10%.
Good luck with the challenge!